The New Life
by Rosabelleee
Summary: It's been seventeen years. Seventeen years that I had never known my father to be Famous Billionaire Playboy, Bruce Wayne. It's also been six years since my mothers death, my mother who had never told me anything about my biological father, and their intimate past. Set years after TDK. Bruce/Wayne OC
1. Prologue: An Introduction

_PROLOGUE_

_It's been seventeen years. Seventeen years that I had never known my father to be Famous Billionaire Playboy, Bruce Wayne. It's also been six years since my mothers death; my mother who had never told me anything about Bruce Wayne, my biological father._

_And... soon enough, life becomes a much more complicated experience._


	2. Chapter 1: Meeting Him

Chapter 1

Meeting _Him_

I sat stirring in the backseat, nervously peering through the rain splattered glass, at the rolling hills of the Palisades. The Palisades were located just outside of the city, where all the richest families live in large homes, away from the crime stricken limits of Gotham. Apparently, from what I've recently learned, my biological father resides within the Palisades, in a gloriously, rebuilt manor home.

"His mansion is just about ten minutes away; don't worry Melina, he's a good man, your dad, no matter what the tabloids speak of him. Your mother and him were as a matter of fact, very close friends." My aunt, Mariane spoke softly, steering through the light afternoon traffic easily. I settled my head back, and sighed.

"This is just such a shock for me, you know... the whole, finding out Bruce _Wayne is my biological father_ thing."

Mariane nodded in sympathy, taking a slight glance at me with a soft smile, her red dyed hair dancing in a slight wave around her head.

"Why wouldn't she tell me? I always thought it was some douchebag she hooked up with in highschool. For all we know, I could have ended up in who knows where, looking for some stranger who isn't even blood related."

"Calm down, Melina... you are not going anywhere but Bruce Wayne's home, soon to be yours. You're not travelling across the country, you are still technically _home_. And, If you need anything, you know, you can always call me, or Todd."

I smiled at my aunt sincerely, and went back to staring out the window, the rain now poured heavily in sheets, creating a ghostly glow to the rolling hills and the distant homes. It reminded me almost of a dream. It was angelic.

"Look up ahead," Mariane broke me from my trance, and I peered in front of us. A stunning manor sat atop a subtle hill, surrounded by a gate that lined the vast perimeter. It was probably the largest manor in the Palisades.

"Is this the biggest one of all?" I asked, my face awe-struck, but still calm. Mariane nodded.

We drove up to a gate, where it slowly opened, and Mariane accelerated up the drive towards the large front doors, where a tall man stood, with hair white as snow, and an umbrella over his head. He was also dressed quite formally, with a light looking raincoat thrown over his shoulders. There was also a warm upturned smile on his lips. _That must be Alfred, Bruce's butler._ I thought, not stopping the grin that came upon on my lips. My grin was now even quipped with teeth. It was definitely hard not to stop smiling at Alfred.

The car slid to a sudden stop, and Alfred came around the car, towards Mariane's side, opening the door, and hovering the umbrella over her head. He had the hood of his jacket up over his head now, protecting it from the rain that did not seem to stop pouring.

I pushed the passenger door open, letting the rain fall over me as I stepped out. It was refreshing having the rain splash my cheeks.

Then suddenly, the rain stopped pouring. Reopening my eyes, I came to realize Alfred brought the umbrella over my head.

"Miss Melina, you are ought to get a cold! Come inside now." Alfred gently steered me up to the safety of the manor, his hand firmly on my back. Inside, Mariane stood smiling, and turned herself fully towards Alfred, her arms crossed lightly.

"Is Bruce home yet?" She asked him politely, her eyes flickering down towards me for a split second. Alfred shook his head stiffly, swallowing before continuing.

"Master Bruce was called in for a meeting about an hour ago, he should be arriving prior five o'clock," He then looked at me, and smiled. "Now, while we wait, why not a cup of tea and a treat?"

My eyes brightened, and I nodded.

"Sure, why not!"

Wayne Manor was beautiful. Alfred showed us to a few rooms while walking towards the kitchen. A beautiful ballroom, dining area, a sitting room, a bathroom made especially for guests, and he showed us a few other rooms, some being unfinished, and unfurnished. There were also many hallways, and small corridors, branching off to different sections of the mansion. It disoriented me, but I didn't show any of that on my face.

We entered the kitchen, and Alfred showed us to the kitchen table, set with vintage chairs, extremely comfortable to sit in, and a beautiful hanging Chandalier over top, which was made from gold, and tiny bits of glass. I glanced around the room curiously, while Mariane and Alfred had an idle chat. This was Alfred turned to look at me, smiling while at it.

"Miss Dawes had been good to keep you out of public eye. I was surprised to see you only once in media, but I had never suspected you're relation."

"I spent a good deal with my grandparents, and Mariane with her husband just outside the city, in the suburbs. I also attended a suburban highschool. Mom said it'd be better for me to stay away from publicity."

"Good for your mother to have kept you from the crime ridden streets. You must have had a splendid childhood, ah, and I perceive you to now be seventeen?"

"Yeah, and eighteen in a couple of months." I smiled, lifting the delicate teacup to my lips, taking a sip of the hot tea. I was a little nervous that my fingers would suddenly break the smooth glass, but I held it, hopeful enough.

The hot liquid ran down my throat, relieving the dryness that was there, and restoring moisture.

Just as I was about to set the cup down, a rich voice, which I recognized from watching and listening to tv broke me from my trance.

"Hey Mariane, good to see you again." His voice was like liquid silk, but also held affirmity.

I looked up abruptly, feeling the cup hastily slip from my hands. It bumped my leg and spilled out onto the tiled floor, while the teacup itself exploded into a mess of broken shards. I gasped, pushing back the chair to view the mess I created, while feeling the need to burst into tears.

"I am so, so sorry!" I yelled, pushing back my long hair with my hand, a trait that I seemed to come from Bruce Wayne, as he had done exactly the same. Alfred noticed that as well, and chuckled softly.

"My dear, it's alright, accidents do happen," He noted, taking a broom from the pantry in the far corner and a metal dust pan.

"I think it's my job to apologize, I should have atleast announced my arrival." Bruce added, looking straight at me, his eyes burning into mine, as if he was searching me from deep within. I looked away quickly, and towards Alfred. It surprised me just how unexpected Bruce's arrival was. Something about him was mysterious, and his expression was so unreadable, it shook me.

Mariane timidly stood up and rounded the table to help Alfred clean the broken glass. I tried to help, but Alfred shooed me away, insisting me to talk to Bruce. _You're father._

"Melina, you look so much like your mother." Bruce said softly, as I stood awkwardly in front of him, my lower back cutting into the kitchen counter.

"I honestly never thought so. I always thought that I was different than _her_." I bit my lip nervously, looking down at his extremely expensive Italian hand-made shoes before I looked back up at him. "My mom was always so cooped with her work, she was stubborn. I told my mom that maybe she should give it a break, but she would only shake her head, say her goodbyes, and leave for the city."

Bruce listened intently, his eyes full of deep sincerity.

"Anyways, she would always insist I stay with Gran, and sometimes even Mariane... I would, sometimes for a few months. I never knew of my mom's life in the city, she never told me... I think it was for my safety, but it honestly bothered me. The only part of her life I knew, that was from the city, was Harvey Dent... he would come by sometimes. He was a nice guy."

I saw Bruce clench his jaw stiffly, and he set his keys and blackberry down at a small coffee table.

"She cared of her work and family being of opposite ends of the table." Bruce spoke, walking around the the counters, grabbing himself a cup of hot brewing coffee. "It was much for your safety, and I'm very glad she held you away from the public." He glanced at her with a tight lipped smile, but hard eyes, as if relishing a memory that seemed to bother him.

"Yes, and I loved having you around a lot. You really kept the kids company." Mariane piped in, dumping contents of broken glass into the garbage can with a stainless steel body.

Mariane's phone suddenly rung out, breaking the quiet.

"Todd, What's up?" She said. "Alright, i'll be there in twenty." Quickly, she shut her motorolla and looked up.

"Okay, I'd better get back, Todd's needing some assistance with a few things in the house. We also need to get all of your luggage from the trunk of my car."

It was nine o'clock in the evening, and I had already gotten settled into my bedroom, it was sort of down the hall from Bruce's bedroom. Alfred showed me to it, and insisted he help with all my luggage, but of course, I did all I could to take as much as possible.

The room was large, quipped with a walk-in closet, and a fairly spacious bathroom.

One queen sized bed sitting square centre against the wall, framed with a post around the perimeter of the bed, hung with curtains tied up into a delicate hung bow. Beside the bed sat an end table, with a small clock, and a box of kleenex. There was also a door leading out to a balcony, which faced the city in the distance, and the beautiful gardens, with many oak trees.

I had managed to take a small break from packing, and just stand outside, letting the light fall wind blow my hair back behind me. I closed my eyes, and let a few tears brush across my cheeks. Even if I had gone through fours years of therapy, after the tragedy that led to my mother's death, the pain was still there, _deep within. _My chest heaved, and I let out a quiet sob, dropping my head down which allowed the tears to come crashing down below me. _You have your father..._ My subconcious whispered. I sniffed back tears, and lifted my head, wiping away tears with the back of my hand before I stepped back into my room, closing the balcony door behind me slowly.

I did not notice the figure standing slightly in the shadow of the doorway, until I looked up, and I gasped, nearly having myself a heartattack.


	3. Chapter 2: The Call

_Thanks to kindleflame5 for being the very first reviewer! :) Means a lot, honestly._  
Okay, so... I hope this story is going good so far! I really would like a... is it.. BETA reader? Aha, no ideaaaa.  
Anyways, I don't wanna make this long, so enjoyyy!

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_I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING THAT BELONGS TO DC, JUST MY ORIGINALS. xx_

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3rd Person

**Chapter 2  
**_The Call_

Melina stumbled back, her hands looking for anything to use as self defense.

" Melina, it's me!" His deep voice echoed, stilling me for a moment. Melina let out a heavy sigh she seemed to have been holding. All her muscles relaxed, and her arms fell momentarily to her sides awkwardly.

" It's only me Bruce." He said, stepping into the filtering light from the moon shining through the window. Melina had her eyes closed, lashes wet with tears, and pressed her hand delicately to her racing heart.

" I overreacted, I know... I'm s-sorry B-Bruce." She said softly, letting her eyes lift up to his. Bruce sighed, his face full of concern, and stepped around to wrap his arm protectively around her. At first, Melina felt stiff, uncomfortable, but after a second, she gave in, and wrapped her arms around him, letting herself sob into his chest. The strong arms he had wrapped around her, felt like a protective barrier. It was comforting, knowing she had someone she could begin to count on, to _maybe_ finally trust.

He murmured comforting words, and rubbed her shoulders to soothe the melancholic state she was in.

Melina sniffed, and pulled away abruptly, rubbing her eyes with her fingertips, while smudging away the mascara she chose to wear.

" I hate to see you cry, what's wrong?" Bruce asked, deeply concerned for his newly found daughter's sorrow. He obviously knew that part of it was of her mother's death... _Rachel_. How come she had never told him of her pregnancy? How had she hid it so well? Bruce shook his head, _That's the past... it's time to move forwards. _He also had a feeling there was something else which held her sorrow, as well as her fear. The way she responded to his second sudden appearance.

"I-I, well, it's just the whole idea of you, and finding that I actually have an existent dad has come and crashed down on me, and well... I've lived my whole life thinking my dad just abandoned me, left the country for all I know... I didn't even know, you were my biological father!"

Bruce stiffened, _he'd left the country before..._ But he was here, with his daughter in the present; he had to live for the moment.

" I'm here now, and you are here now, too." Bruce said smoothly, looking down at her with a sincere smile. Melina could not help but smile back up at him. That's when his face slowly fell. Melina looked taken aback, but he wasn't directing the gesture towards her.

" Oh, I just about forgot about my date." He straightened, and looked back down at his daughter, who stood uncomfortably. There was a brooding glimmer in his eyes, and that made Melina shiver.

" I'm very sorry Melina, I have to get going now. Can't keep the lady waiting, you know? I have a reputation to uphold, and I promise to make it up for you." He moved towards the door, but turned back slowly, a real smile on his lips.

"If I were you, I'd would take advantage of the spa bathtub in your bathroom, nice and relaxing." He grinned sheepishly now, his eyes sparkling.

"Good night Mel."

"Thanks. Have a nice date, Bruce." Melina said, and watched her father walk out of her site, the diminishing sound of his dress shoes down the hall delcaring his final departure.

...

The most strangest thing was that Melina hadn't heard him leaving, or even _seen_ him driving down the driveway for the city. She sat for quite a while in the window, her mind deep in questioning.

It could have possibly been that he left a different way, but the only exit and entrance she was familiar with were the front gates.

Melina sighed before standing up, and making her way into the bathroom.

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It was after a hot bath that Melina strode from her private bathroom, clad in a bathrobe tight around her slender body. Her eyes were a little blood shot from crying earlier, but the bath had certainly refreshed her mind, and she couldn't help but feel a lot happier.

She threw herself on the bed, lavishing at how comfortable the egyptian cotton felt against the bare knick of her long legs, and stretched her arms over her head.

Suddenly, Melina's cell phone began to ring, which sat on the small end table next to her bed. She swung her arm over her, and took the phone unsteadily. The caller I.D. was private, she noticed, before the phone was pressed to her ear.

The voice was low, in a quiet whisper, and definitely belonged to a male.

"Ah, Melina _soon to be_ officially a Wayne." The voice spoke, clicking their tongue loudly into the receiver.

"Who the hell is this?" Melina said, furrowing her brow. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, and sat straighter. A low chuckle came across the other end, and a loud smack of lips echoed in her ear.

"HAHAHOOHEEHAHEHEHAHA... I may come around for a visit, _very _shortly..." An eruption of cackles followed before the line was cut off entirely.

The dial-tone vibrated loudly into her ear, and Melina threw her phone down onto her bed, staring at it as if it were something disgusting.

It must be a sick joke one of her friends from her highschool were pulling, but it still scared her. She'd tell Alfred about this. It would rightfully be the best idea, maybe. He'd probably get worried sick, and tell Bruce... which she did not really want.

As quickly as she could, she slipped on a pair of dark wash jeans, and a simple black tank-top. She had her feet bare, and slipped them into a pair of slippers from her luggage.

_I'l unpack all of this later..._ She said, sorting absentmindedly through folded clothing. _First, I should go find Alfred._

Unsteadily, she headed out down the hallway, her soft slippers padding across the half covered carpeted hall. The phone call would not leave her thoughts. She was still wrapped around how weird it was, and how it made her feel. The laughter, how strangely familiar it sounded.

_Okay, anyone could call her sounding _exactly_ like the Joker. _Melina thought, running a hand through her hair, tied up in a loose pony.

A sudden distant click stopped her dead in her tracks.

_Okay, now you're being totally paranoid, he isn't here! _He_ is not here to get you!_

Melina spun around slowly, peering around as if somebody was watching her. Was someone watching her?

_Shit._

The sound of a heavy thump echoed up the stairs from downstairs, right down the vast hall.

_Alfred?_

" Alfred?" Melina called, now breaking into a light jog towards the stairs. "Alfred!" She yelled, her voice echoed off the walls.

A shuffling sounded from behind her, and in her panic, she screamed.

" Miss Melina?" It was Alfred, t_hank _God. "Why are you screaming?"

" I'm so sorry, I thought it was _something_ else!"

" Do not be sorry, it is quite alright dear." He said softly, stepping out with a first aid kit. Melina furrowed her brow in questioning. Why would Alfred need a first aid kit, unless he cut himself, but he seemed in quite a hurry. The previous phone call Melina received was cut short from her memory, _for now it wasn't the right time to tell him._

Alfred headed for the stairs in a hurry, passing Melina with a quick worried glance. There was something of fear in his blue eyes, and Melina felt her heart pounding against her chest.

" What's going on, Alfred?" Melina followed behind him, half jogging to meet with his quick, hasty steps. He simply continued forwards, taking every step carefully, yet quickly.

" I will leave Master Bruce to explain everything." His voice was strained, but Melina didn't question any further, what else was there to ask? She wanted her father to explain, and she would get an explanation.

They crossed the threshold that led towards the front doors, and entered another hall. These halls were so unknown to Melina, but Alfred told her that the Southwest corner of the manor was one where no one ever really went. Many rooms in this area were untouched, unfinished, not even yet started in construction.

A door came into view, and Alfred pushed it open, revealing an intricate study, where bookcases lined every wall, except for one, where windows were covered in thick, antique looking curtains. Melina noticed a photograph, resting on a small table. It was of Bruce himself, and both of his parents, _her _grandparents_._ Tears formed in her ears, and she blinked them away as quickly as she could.

Alfred walked up to a clock, and spun the dial to a time: 10:47. Suddenly, one of the bookcases swung open, revealing a dark, stone pathed hallway. Nervously, Melina follows behind Alfred, who is almost running down the path. As soon as both her feet are touching the cement flooring of the interior, the bookcase groans to a close, leaving her to only catch up to Alfred. He waits for her patiently in an open elevator shaft, and as soon as Melina steps in, shutting the doors behind her, he abruptly pulls down a lever. The lever sends them literally falling down at a feverish speed, yet with a gentle end, where Melina's knuckles are turning pearl white from gripping the sides so hard.

Alfred runs from the elevator, with Melina still in tow. She flinches at the sound of bats from above her, and narrows her eyes as she realizes that this was a cave.

There is also a distant sound of a waterfall, as well as water drippings.

Melina walks from the shadows, and reveals herself in the light. Her eyes widen at the sight.

To the right of her, there is a series of computers, technology she had yet to know, and medicinal equipment, and supplies. Across the cave sat a black tank like vehicle, parked diagonally, with the top hatch pushed back to reveal the front seats.

The _bats_, the technology she'd never seen before, the medical supplies that resembled hospital supplies, the _tumbler_, the _cave_...

It suddenly all came to her like a tidal wave. _That was the bat mobile... the tumbler. Where was Batman? Batman... Bruce... My dad?_

Melina turned her head to come into view of Alfred, who was unsteadily sorting through the first aid kit. Before him, a black kevlar clad man lay across a surgical table. The top part of his suit was missing, along with the cowl, which lay on it's side on the ground. Batman seemed to be groaning in pain, his head whipping slowly from side to side. An antiseptic cloth was covered his side, seeping with blood. Fresh blood.

Her stomach churned in a tight knot at the sight of all the blood. She'd never been good with seeing or even hearing about blood.

Alfred quickly walked over to where Bruce or Batman lay, and pulled the cloth slowly from his side, careful and very observant to what he was doing.

The sight of his wound, and all that blood, it was enough for Melina to pale.

Her cheeks went from a normal, healthy color, to a white, sickening tone. Her nose also smelled the tinge of copper in the air, and she fainted.

Succumbing into blackness.

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AH, Yes! I revised this chapter! :) I didn't like it, and suddenly I kind of got an idea for how this should end up going.

Anyways, please leave a review. I would honestly appreciate it.

Muaaah ,

xx

Rosabelleee


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